Environmental degradation that occurs through pollution other than greenhouse gas emissions is perhaps the most readily noticeable—and the most easily remedied—impact on people around the world. Whether it’s runoff from a chemical factory polluting a river (and thus, a community’s water supply), plastics washing out to sea and killing aquatic life, airborne particulate matter spewed by oil refineries causing illness in nearby populations, or one firm’s emissions affecting another firm’s ability to function, uncontrolled pollution is a detriment to society.
Economic growth in the United States is largely dependent upon firms and their laborers and their ability to produce capital and consumption goods. When the ability of firms and laborers …show more content…
Thus, efforts to both combat and mitigate the worst effects of climate change are important. Addressing climate issues will require mitigation efforts that curtail global emissions in order to change the path of world-wide warming, as well as more direct affronts that could include geo-engineering, though this is hotly debated …show more content…
Through its progressive feed-in laws, any home or business owner who invests in renewable power generation devices (e.g., solar panels, wind turbines) will be paid a fair market price for the electricity that is sold back to the grid, while also giving sellers priority to sell their electricity first, before the utility can sell its electricity. This creates an economic incentive to purchase renewable electricity generators because they can be paid off within a reasonable amount of time, and contribute to the power grid’s stability by dispersing electricity generation, instead of having it all come from one central nuclear or coal-fired power plant (Lang). In fact, due to these progressive laws known as feed-in tariffs, Germany kick-started the solar industry by creating demand for solar panels and depressing the price of global solar once Chinese manufacturers jumped in to undercut the price (Fares). By providing consumers with an easy and cost-effective way to generate electricity without producing carbon emissions, Germany is proving to the world that renewables can
Economic growth in the United States is largely dependent upon firms and their laborers and their ability to produce capital and consumption goods. When the ability of firms and laborers …show more content…
Thus, efforts to both combat and mitigate the worst effects of climate change are important. Addressing climate issues will require mitigation efforts that curtail global emissions in order to change the path of world-wide warming, as well as more direct affronts that could include geo-engineering, though this is hotly debated …show more content…
Through its progressive feed-in laws, any home or business owner who invests in renewable power generation devices (e.g., solar panels, wind turbines) will be paid a fair market price for the electricity that is sold back to the grid, while also giving sellers priority to sell their electricity first, before the utility can sell its electricity. This creates an economic incentive to purchase renewable electricity generators because they can be paid off within a reasonable amount of time, and contribute to the power grid’s stability by dispersing electricity generation, instead of having it all come from one central nuclear or coal-fired power plant (Lang). In fact, due to these progressive laws known as feed-in tariffs, Germany kick-started the solar industry by creating demand for solar panels and depressing the price of global solar once Chinese manufacturers jumped in to undercut the price (Fares). By providing consumers with an easy and cost-effective way to generate electricity without producing carbon emissions, Germany is proving to the world that renewables can